Paul Beatty's many people references in The Sellout

Paul Beatty references an incredible of people in his novel The Sellout. The novelist mentions a massive number of historical events, concepts, and people.   

I took count of the people and characters and realized that Beatty mentions more than 300 historical and cultural figures and over 150 fictional characters in the course of the novel. It's a really extraordinary  display of concentrated cultural cataloging. 

And so we're clear, Beatty isn't just listing names. He's interspersing those people into the many jokes that appear throughout the novel. The multitude of references speak to his resourcefulness as a storyteller. 

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This entry is part of a series--28 Days & Ways of Thinking about Bad Men & Vulnerable Black Boys.

Note: For a 30% discount, use the promo code 10FEB23 when and if purchasing the book on the University of Virginia Press site.  (For February 2023 only).